Session 4 Foreign Visitors Worship Jesus Matthew 2:1-12 Worship Theme: Everyone needs Jesus. Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will praise Jesus for being the one they need and will help others know Jesus. Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Praise God! (up to 25 minutes) Sing Everybody Come Along! (track 14) His Mercy (Titus 3:5a) (track 5) King Jesus Is All (track 11) Go and Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19) (track 6) Let Your Light Shine (Matthew 5:16) (track 18) For the Son (Luke 19:10) (track 7) I Am the Way (John 14:6) (track 12) KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver Classroom Supplies: CD player, yellow construction paper, scissors, Mary and Jesus costumes, photocopy of Mary s Script (p. 50), microphone Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) * The Wise Men Participate in telling the story of the wise men s journey. Everybody Needs Jesus Talk about needing Jesus, and learn an action rhyme. Guess Who Identify people who need Jesus. Classroom Supplies: Mary and Jesus costumes 46 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) The Wise Men s Trip Watch a video about the long journey. * What s in a Name? Conduct an experiment to see that Jesus is the one we need. * The World Needs Jesus Use continent maps to pray for people around the world to know Jesus. KidsOwn Worship Kit: KidsOwn Worship DVD: The Wise Men s Trip (3) Classroom Supplies: TV, DVD player Classroom Supplies: Bibles, 1 tissue per child, bucket of water, permanent marker, toy boat Classroom Supplies: Photocopies of the Continents handout (p. 58), scissors Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Pray! (up to 10 minutes) The Offering Offer their gifts to God. He Saved Us Thank God for sending Jesus to save us. Thank God Tell partners what they appreciate about Jesus. KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver: For the Son (Luke 19:10) (track 7) Classroom Supplies: CD player, bucket KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver: His Mercy (Titus 3:5a) (track 5) Classroom Supplies: CD player * Starred activities can be used successfully with preschool and elementary children together. Customize your session to fit your needs. You can separate preschoolers and elementary children for Let s Learn the Point! Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities. Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 47
Bible Background for Leaders Foreign Visitors Worship Jesus Matthew 2:1-12 Contrary to traditional images of the events surrounding Jesus birth, the Magi did not visit Jesus shortly after his birth; they actually arrived months later and visited Jesus at the house where he and his parents were staying. Common sense tells us that Mary and Joseph could not have traveled the 70 miles back to Nazareth immediately after Jesus birth so they likely stayed in Bethlehem for a few months. Also contrary to tradition, the Magi were probably philosophers or astrologers from Babylon, not kings. Apparently it was widely thought that a great king who would usher in a period of peace would soon be born in Judea. When the Magi saw the unusual star, their curiosity got the best of them, and they set out for Jerusalem, the Judean capital, to see if the star actually signaled the birth of this great king. When the Magi s report reached King Herod, he was disturbed at the prospect of a rival to his throne and immediately devised a plan to get rid of the child. He planned to use the Magi to gather information for him. So when his advisers told him of the prophecy placing the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, he passed that information on to the Magi on the assumption that they would report their findings to him, as he had requested. In this way he would be able to find the child and deal with him. But before the Magi left, Herod asked them when the star had appeared. He was trying to calculate when the child had been born, in case he had to resort to means other than the Magi to find this baby who would be king. Herod s proclaimed desire to worship the new king was a deception intended to reassure the Magi and encourage them to return with the information he wanted. The Magi followed the star to Bethlehem, where their predictions were confirmed. Indeed a miraculous birth had taken place, and the Magi worshipped the new king joyfully and presented him with precious gifts. Throughout history, different symbolic meanings have been attributed to the Magi s gifts. One theory suggests that the gold represented Jesus kingly nature, the incense his divinity, and the myrrh (a resin often used in burial) his humanity or mortality. God had revealed to these non-jewish seekers of truth the one who would bring peace and salvation to all who believe in him. It is clear from their response to God s warning that they were more concerned about doing what was right before God than about obeying Herod, who could have had them executed for defying him. Matthew s report of this story demonstrated to the Jews of his day, as well as to non-jews today, that Jesus came for all people who place their trust in him. Devotion for Leaders No matter where we are in life, we can worship Jesus. Thank Jesus for his grace, for accepting our worship despite our many sins. Weaving Faith Into Your Life: Reread the story of the Magi s worship in Matthew 2:1-12. Consider this: What do you think of the way you worship Jesus? We can worship anywhere, anyway, anytime we want. But we bear a great responsibility in that no one forces us to (or not to) worship. We should always worship Jesus out of our love and devotion for him. Help us, Jesus, to always worship you in truth! 48 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
Why We Worship for Leaders Today we worship because Jesus came for everyone, and everyone needs Jesus in order to find God. Although Jesus was called the king of the Jews, he is much more than that. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He s the Lord of all! Jesus came for all people, no matter what country they re from or what color their skin is. Imagine what a foreign concept this would have been for people living in the first century. But even though the wise men were not Jews, they traveled a great distance at great cost to find Jesus and worship him. Let s help the children experience the wonder the wise men must have felt when they discovered the Savior who came for everyone. Easy Prep for Leaders Let s Praise God! Cut several stars from yellow construction paper. Make one star much larger than the others to suggest the star the Magi followed. Tape the stars on the ceiling around the area your Mary will be sitting, with the largest one right above her. Ask a female volunteer to dress as Mary and sit under the bright star with a cooperative baby. Give Mary and the baby simple Bibletimes costumes to wear, such as bathrobes or sheets and towels or pillowcases to wrap around their heads. Photocopy Mary s Script (p. 50), and give it to the volunteer. Ask her to be prepared to answer questions about the story. The Wise Men s Trip Set up a TV and DVD player, and cue the KidsOwn Worship DVD to The Wise Men s Trip (3). Watch the video at least once before the worship session so you ll be familiar with it. What s in a Name? Fill a bucket with water and set it out of the way. Use a permanent marker to write Jesus on a toy boat. The World Needs Jesus Make enlarged copies of the Continents handout (p. 58), and cut the continents apart. You ll need one copy for every six children (one continent for each child). Preschool Activities Refer to the preschool pages for preparations. Web Help Get bonus leader tips and ideas at kidsownworship.com. Let s Praise God! Play Songs From FaithWeaver, Winter 2010-2011 as children arrive. Greet children by name, and say to each one, You re a reporter today. Follow the big star, and find the big story. Encourage children to find the brightest star on the ceiling and then sit near Mary and the child. When everyone has arrived, Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 49
Mary s Script Everything that happened was amazing! Song Lyrics and Motions To make the worship session go more smoothly, tear out the lyrics sheets in the back of this book and keep them in a separate folder. Each week, pull out only the sheets you ll need for the day s worship session. When Jesus was born, angels and shepherds came. The shepherds worshipped Jesus. Later, when Jesus was a little older, wise men came from far away. They said they had seen Jesus star and followed it all the way to Bethlehem. They brought Jesus gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. I was amazed that these foreigners made such a long trip to worship Jesus. It showed me that my little boy was very special, and it showed me that everyone needs Jesus. Copyright FaithWeaver. kidsownworship.com Hello, reporters. Today we re going to talk about how everyone needs Jesus, and we re going to worship Jesus because he came for everyone. When you came in, you were asked to find the big story under the star. We have Mary here to tell us what happened and to help us understand that everyone needs Jesus. First we ll listen to what Mary has to say. Then you ll have a chance to pretend you re reporters and ask Mary questions about what happened. Have Mary read the script aloud. Then allow children to use a real or toy microphone as they take turns asking her questions. You may need to help them think of questions, such as, Why did the wise men travel so far? After several children have asked the volunteer questions, thank Mary for coming to talk with them. The wise men traveled a long way in search of the one who was born to be the Savior of the world. The wise men knew that they needed Jesus. Their story helps us understand that everyone needs Jesus. Jesus is the reason the wise men traveled so far. And Jesus is the reason we re here today. Let s sing about Jesus. Sing Everybody Come Along! Track 14 We re like the wise men. We need Jesus, too. Everyone needs Jesus, because we all need to be saved. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Because we have all sinned, we all need Jesus to save us. Everyone needs Jesus! Let s thank God for Jesus and the salvation he offers us as we sing our next song. 50 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
Sing His Mercy (Titus 3:5a). Track 5 What are some other reasons we need Jesus? (We need Jesus to love us; to show us how to live; to bring peace.) Those are all great reasons. Because of those reasons, we believe and put our trust in Jesus. We all need Jesus to help us. Let s sing King Jesus Is All. Sing King Jesus Is All. Not everyone knows they need Jesus. It s part of our job as Christians to make sure that people meet Jesus and come to believe in him and trust him as their Savior. Let s have a greeting time as we sing this song. Go around the room and shake hands with or give a high five to at least five people as we sing this next song. Track 11 Sing Go and Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19). Track 6 What happens when we tell people about Jesus? (People can be saved; we make the world better.) When people hear about Jesus, their hearts are changed. Our next song helps us remember what will happen when we go and tell others about Jesus. Sing Let Your Light Shine (Matthew 5:16). Track 18 Everyone needs Jesus. When we share Jesus with others, they can believe in him, too. When people believe in Jesus, they go to heaven when they die. Let s sing For the Son, and thank God for Jesus. Sing For the Son (Luke 19:10). Track 7 The wise men followed the star to find Jesus. They traveled a long way to bring gifts and to worship the King of all people. John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is for everyone. The wise men brought Jesus gifts of expensive spices and gold. As we sing the next song, think about what gifts you would like to give the King who is the way, the truth, and the life. Sing I Am the Way (John 14:6). Track 12 Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 51
Talk to a partner about what we mean when we say that Jesus is the way. Give kids a few seconds to share. Jesus is the way to heaven. Find another partner, and talk about what Jesus is the truth means. Give kids time to share. Jesus is the true Savior. Find one more partner, and talk about what Jesus is the life means. Give kids time to share. Jesus gives us eternal life. That s why everyone needs Jesus, and that s why we worship him today. God, we thank you for sending Jesus. We know we all need Jesus. We worship him today. In Jesus name, amen. Let s Learn the Point! Preschool Activities, pages 53-54 At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of activities. Tear out the Preschool Activities page, and give it to the preschool leader. Have the preschool leader bring the preschoolers back to participate in Let s Pray! with the older children. If you prefer to keep all the children together, do the starred (*) activities. They will work well with both elementary and preschool children. Elementary Activities The Wise Men s Trip Show The Wise Men s Trip (3) on the KidsOwn Worship DVD. The video shows how long and tiring the journey was. In the video, one of the wise men explains that they went on the long, hard trip because Jesus was very important to them. After the video, What made the wise men s trip so hard? (It was long and hot; they had to walk; they were not sure where they were going.) Why was it important for the wise men to travel to see the new King? (They needed to learn about Jesus; they wanted to know what the star meant.) Why did the wise men bring gifts for the new King? (They brought gifts to show Jesus is special; because they knew Jesus is important.) Do you think the wise men thought their trip had been worthwhile when they arrived in Bethlehem and saw Jesus? Explain. (Yes, because they listened to God and didn t tell Herod; maybe they expected more than a baby.) (continued on page 55) 52 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
Preschool Activities Foreign Visitors Worship Jesus Session 4 Worship Theme: Matthew 2:1-12 Using Theo Everyone needs Jesus. Easy Prep for Leaders The Wise Men Ask the Mary volunteer from Let s Praise God! to join you. Consider using Theophilus the FaithRetriever puppet today in these ways: Have Theo lead the preschoolers from the main worship area to the preschool room. Have Theo help the children do the rhyme in Everybody Needs Jesus. See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit written for today s worship session. * The Wise Men Our Bible story is about some wise men who took a long trip. We re going to go on a trip called the wise men s trip. We ll start here in our own country just as the wise men did, and we ll go a long way to another place called Bethlehem. We re looking for the King of the Jews so that we can worship him. We re going to pretend to follow the star to find Jesus. We must be very quiet on our trip. If you need to talk, please whisper. Take the children out of the room, and walk with them in various places, such as along the corridors, upstairs or downstairs, and outside. As you walk, use the following script and encourage the children to do the actions with you. We re crossing a desert now. It s hot, and we re thirsty. (Pretend to stagger under the hot sun.) Now we re climbing a mountain. Whew, we re out of breath. (Pretend to pant.) Look! Now we have to cross a stream. Let s step carefully through the water so our clothes don t get too wet. (Pretend to cross a stream.) Remember that we need to follow the star. Where is the star now? (Go in one of the directions the children point to.) We need to find the child who is the King of the Jews. We want to worship him. While you re traveling with the children, a helper should use chairs and other furniture to set up an area in your room or in another room to represent a house in Bethlehem. Have the child who played Jesus there, if possible. Ask the volunteer Mary to greet the children when they arrive. Have Mary ask the children the following questions. Why have you come so far to find us? What happened to you on your long trip? What did you follow to find us? What do you want to do now that you have found Jesus? Lead the children in kneeling and singing a simple song of worship to Jesus. Choose a song with which the children are familiar. Then tell the children that you need to go back to your own country. Lead the children out of the room along a different route. Mary and the child should leave the room while the children are gone. Return to the empty room. Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 53
Preschool Activities Everybody Needs Jesus Guess Who The wise men came a long way to find Jesus. They knew it was important to know Jesus. They knew that they needed Jesus. We need Jesus, too. Why do we need Jesus? We need Jesus to love us. We need Jesus to save us. We need Jesus to help us. Jesus is very dear to us. That means Jesus is very close to us. It means we love Jesus very much. We re going to play a game called Guess Who. Let s all sit in a circle on the floor. (Pause.) We re going to guess who needs Jesus. If you have brown or black hair, please stand up. (Pause.) People with brown or black hair need Jesus. If you re wearing a red shirt, please stand up. (Pause.) People wearing red need Jesus. If you have a little brother, please stand up. Who do these people need? (Pause.) If you have a big sister, please stand up. Who do these people need? (Pause.) Continue calling out characteristics until everyone is standing. Who needs Jesus? Let s say this rhyme together. People here, (Point to each child.) People far, (Point far away.) People far and near (Point both far and near.) Need Jesus love (Hug yourself.) From above, (Point up.) Because he is so dear. (Hug yourself.) [Child s name] needs Jesus. Repeat for each child. We all need Jesus. It doesn t matter whether we have glasses or brown hair or green hair or have a little brother or a big sister. It doesn t matter where we live or who we live with. We all need Jesus. Let s hold hands in our circle. Have children walk to the right as they say, Who needs Jesus? Then have them walk to the left as they say, I need Jesus. Then have them continue to hold hands, lift their arms up, and walk into the center of the circle as they shout, We all need Jesus! Do this sequence a few times. God, we thank you for sending Jesus to save us. Thank you for helping everyone to find Jesus just as the wise men found him. In Jesus name, amen. 54 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
(continued from page 52) The wise men knew that Jesus was an important King. And they traveled many miles to worship him. They knew that Jesus was for the whole world. Everyone all over the world needs Jesus. * What s in a Name? There are lots of different religions that worship different people or things. We worship Jesus. Let s think of some names other people worship. Prompt children with names Buddha or Allah, for example. Use a marker to write each name on a tissue. You ll need a tissue for each child. It s OK to repeat names. Some people say that all religions are equally good. They say that all the different religions are just different paths to heaven. Some people say all these so-called gods will help you when you re in trouble. Give a tissue to each child. Ask the children to bring the tissues to the front where you have placed the bucket of water. Let s pretend this bucket of water represents troubles. Let s see if these so-called gods can help us in times of trouble. Ask the children to submerge the tissues in the water. Ask kids to comment on what happens to the tissues. The tissues fell apart. They couldn t hold up in troubled times. What happens when we trust in a false god to help us? (We don t get help; we don t ask Jesus for help.) Some religions teach that dead ancestors can help the living. Some people even think that dead people can be our so-called spirit guides. What will happen if you call on the name of a dead person to help you? (Nothing.) Why do we say that Jesus is alive? (Jesus rose from the dead; Jesus lives in heaven; Jesus helps us.) The Bible tells us that, although Jesus died on the cross, he was raised from the dead and went to heaven. The Bible also tells us who will go to heaven. Let s look up Romans 10:13 and discuss what it means. Have children form groups of four, and give each child a Bible. Ask the children to look up Romans 10:13 and discuss these questions in their groups: What does this verse men by saved, and how does it say people can be saved? (It s talking about going to heaven by believing in God; it s about having Jesus in your life.) What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? (To trust God; to believe in God; to pray.) Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 55
Why aren t other gods able to save people when people call their names? (Other gods are not real; other gods don t live in heaven.) We all need love. We all need forgiveness. We all need a Savior. We all need Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus. And when we trust in Jesus and tell him we need him, he will save us. Put the toy boat in the bucket of water. When we put the tissues in the water, they fell apart, but Jesus carries us through troubled times. Jesus is the only one who can save us. Empty the water from the bucket, and dry it out. You ll need the bucket for the offering. * The World Needs Jesus Worship Leader Tip You may want to list continents on a chalkboard or a white board for children to refer to as they mingle. If the number of children in your group doesn t divide evenly by six, have groups include more than one person with the same continent. Shuffle the enlarged continent copies, and give each child a continent. Make sure that children sitting next to each other don t have the same continents. You each have a map of a continent. We re using six of the continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. (We re not using Antarctica today.) You re going to work together to make a map of the world. I d like you to start by finding someone with a different continent. Then each pair will need to work together to find people with all of the other continents. You ll need to form groups of six with each of the six continents represented in each group. Allow time for children to form groups. Be prepared to help. Place your continents on the floor in the order in which they re arranged on a world map. (Pause.) Sit on the floor around your world map, and discuss what people might be like in each continent. Talk about what the needs of the people might be in each continent. Allow a few minutes for discussion, then ask for a volunteer from each group to report what the group discussed. What is one need that people all over the world have in common? (To be forgiven for sins; everyone needs God s love.) People all over the world need Jesus. Now I d like each of you to stand on a different continent on your world map. Join hands and pray for the people in the continents on which you are standing. Pray that they will know Jesus. In your group, take turns praying aloud. Allow a few minutes for kids to pray. The wise men came from far away to worship Jesus even though they weren t Jews. Jesus was called the King of the Jews, but the wise men knew they should worship him, too. People from all over the world need Jesus because Jesus is not just for one group of people. Jesus is for everyone. 56 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
God, we know that everyone needs Jesus. Help us have a part in bringing Jesus to the world. Thank you for letting us share in bringing Jesus to people. In Jesus name, amen. Let s Pray! The Offering As we give our offering today, let s thank God for making it so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord can be with God in heaven. We re going to use the bucket to collect our offering today. As you pass the bucket, remember that everyone needs Jesus. As you place your offering in the bucket, thank God for sending Jesus. As you pass the offering bucket, play For the Son (Luke 19:10). Have kids sing along while the offering is collected. He Saved Us Track 7 Extra Impact Give today s offering to a missionary agency, and help kids understand that one way we can make sure everyone knows Jesus is to give our money so people can go tell others about him. Also encourage kids to bring an offering next week to add to the missionary fund. Today we learned that everyone needs Jesus. We learned that Jesus came to save all people. Let s praise him by singing His Mercy. Sing His Mercy (Titus 3:5a). Track 5 Thank God Sometimes we take God for granted. That means we don t take time to appreciate all the things he has done for us. Since we all need Jesus, it is wonderful to know that he is right here for us. Find a partner, and tell your partner one thing you appreciate about Jesus. For example, I appreciate the fact that Jesus is always there to help me. After you have shared one thing, we ll form a circle and pray our closing prayer. Give children time to share. Lord, we know that we all need Jesus. We thank you for sending Jesus to save us. In Jesus name, amen. Session 4 KidsOwn Worship 57
Continents Permission to photocopy this handout from KidsOwn Worship Leader Guide, Winter, granted for local church use. Copyright FaithWeaver. kidsownworship.com 58 FaithWeaver Winter Quarter
Encouragement for Leaders Dear God, thanks for bringing joy to our lives. Help me find ways to bring more joy to my students in Sunday school. In Jesus name, amen. From Heartfelt Thanks for Helping Kids Love Jesus. Copyright 2004 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO.